‘You know you did everything you could. Don’t you?‘
Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner make for an irresistible partnership, and so it’s a shame that the 1993 crime thriller on which they combined has now become largely forgotten. Originally intended for Steven Spielberg (who dropped out to make a little movie called Jurassic Park), A Perfect World is the kind of mid-budget adult fare that doesn’t get made anymore. It also boasts one of Costner’s most nuanced performances…
When Butch Haynes (Costner) and Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) escape from the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, the former finds himself on the run with eight-year-old Phillip Perry (T. J. Lowther) as his hostage. On the other side of the law, Chief “Red” Garnett (Eastwood) and criminologist Sally Gerber (Laura Dern), along with FBI man, Bobby Lee (Bradley Whitford), attempt to apprehend the criminals.
Despite the fact that Costner and Eastwood reportedly clashed on set so vociferously that the former stormed off at one point, Eastwood, always an actors’ director, coaxes an utterly captivating performance out of Costner here. At this point, Costner was the archetypal all American hero, known for playing men-of-the-people and sports stars. His performance here is much more layered. Yes, his relationship with the kid is heart-warming, but Eastwood always makes a left turn when things threaten to become too sentimental. He never loses sight of the fact that this man is an unpredictable and dangerous criminal (one extended scene in which Butch flirts with murdering a father in front of his child is particularly gritty).
Elsewhere, Eastwood and Dern share an easy chemistry, with the latter bringing some career best sass while threatening to steal every scene in which she appears at the same time. It’s not for nothing that she has all the best lines. It’s a shame that the structure of the story dictates that our three main players don’t really interact as a trio all that much, but when Eastwood and Costner do finally reach their showdown during the film’s conclusion, it is absolutely worth the wait.
A Perfect World is a typical Clint Eastwood movie (as a director anyway). It’s an interesting story, told with a minimum of fuss, with great acting, that came in under budget and made loads of money at the box office. I will again bang the drum that as well as being arguably the most iconic actor in the history of cinema, he is also one of the form’s greatest directors.
